Valve actuator for floor furnaces



April 23, 1940.

R. W. MUELLER El AL VALVE ACTUATOR FOR FLOOR FURNACES Filed March 31, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet].

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April 1940. 'R. w. MUELLER ET AL 2.1 8.455

VALVE ACTUATOR FOR FLOOR FURNACES Filed March 31, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE ACTUATOR F03 FLOOR FURNACES Application March 31, 1989, Serial No. 265,224 2 Claims. (Cl. 251-150) This invention relates to fioor furnaces, and refers particularly to gas fired floor furnaces. and especially to the means for controlling the flow of fuel thereto.

Floor furnaces are constructed to be set into the floor and have a register at the fioor level through which the heated air enters the room, and in some instances, through portions of which cold air is returned to the furnace. The furnace extends down a substantial distance beneath the floor level, and inasmuch as 'the best location for the burner is in the lower portion of the furnace, it is expedient to likewise mount the valve which controls the flow of gas to the burner near the 18 bottom of the furnace.

. To control the valve, a stem extends upwardly therefrom to the floor levelwhere an actuating handle is mounted to be readily accessible for manualactuation. Heretofore, however, the con-' struction of the valve actuating mechanism has been such that a downward force applied to the actuating stem either during actuation thereof or by stepping on the actuating handle, was trans mitted directly to the rotatable plug of the valve,

and as a consequence, the plug was very often mechanically frozen.

This invention therefore has as one of its ob- ,iects to provide an improved manner of actuating the valve whereby a downward force imposed 80 on the actuating handle cannot be transmitted to the rotatable plug.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for preventing the transmission of downward force onto the valve plug, which is so deas signed that no modification is necessary either .in the design of the valve or the furnace.

with the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combio nation and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described; and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be madeas 5 come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate two complete examples of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with the best modes so far devised for the practical 50 application of the principles thereof, and in which: I v

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional fioor furnace, illustrating the application of this invention thereto;

Figure 2 is a side view at the fuel control valve and the actuating mechanism therefor, shown enlarged and with parts thereof broken away and in section;

Figure 3 is a top vew of the valve;

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional 5 view through a modified embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the elements of the construction shown in Figure 4, disassembled. 10

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates a fioor furnace of any conventional construction, which, as is customary, is set into an opening in the floor ll 8 so that the entire furnace lies beneath the floor level. Across the top of the furnace is a floor register I throughwhich the heated air rises into the room and through portions of which cold air may be returned to the furnace. The go construction of the furnace per se forms no part of this invention, and therefore, is notshown.

The heat source in furnaces of this nature is generally provided by a gas burner'(not shown) supplied with fuel from a supply line 8 in which 5 a valve or cock 9 is interposed. Inasmuch as the burner'is located in the lower portion of the furnace, it is expedient to likewise position the valve or cock at the bottom of the furnace.

The valve or cock, as best shown in Figures '2 and 3, comprise a body In having an inlet ll connected with the supp y line 8. and an outlet I! from which a duct l3 leads to theburner. Between theinlet and outlet, the body has a downwardly tapered vertical bore It in which 5 a plug I5 is rotatable.

It is to be observed that the-upper edge of the plug l8 lies beneath the upper face l6 of the valve body. and that only a reduced central stud I I projects up from the plug above the face I6. 40 This central stud provides means by which the plug may be turned, which is accomplished through the medium of a stem I! which extends up from the valve to the floor level, being guided at its upper end by a hole l9 in the door register.

An actuating handle 20, which may be in the form of a removable key, nonrotatably but removably fitted to the upper end of the stem, provides means for manually turning the stem. Its a lower end has a collar 2| fixed thereto by means of a pin 22. This collar fits loosely over the stud ii and has slotted apertures 28 in its opposite side walls to receive the ends of a cross pin it fixed to the stud II. In this manner, a nonrotatable but longitudinally movable driving conarouses nection is estobhshed between the stem and the valve which precludes accidental disengagement of the actuating stem from the plug.

The cohar 2t also has a wall 2t spaced from. the outer end of the stud it which positively prevents the stem to from contacting the stud. as the wall it is spaced from the end of the r i It and as the bottom of the collar 23 rests on the face it of the valve body, and not on any portion of the plug, any downward force app to the actuating handle is transmitted rectly to the valve body and not to the rotatable ug. Consequently, it is impossible to ire-ere t downward force, either as an incident to manual actuation of the handle 29, or by accidentally fiovisicn is also made to control the flow of fuel to a at light (not shown). This is effooted thr sgh the medium of a cock 25 fed from the inlet side of the main valve and passing the fuel to a duct 26 which leads to the pilot light.

The cook 25, like the main valve, comprises a rotatable tapered plug 21 mounted in a bore 28 and having a stud 29 projecting up from its upper end. An actuating stem so extends from the cock 25 to the floor level with its lower end nonrotatably joined to the stud 29 in identically the same manner as the stem I 8 is joined to the rotatable plug it. The upper end of the stem 30, like the stem i8, is shaped for the reception of the key 26 so that the same actuator key may be used for actuating both valves Another manner of coupling the actuating stem to the rotatabie valve plug is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. In this embodiment of the invention, the rotatable plug it has acentral stud tl projecting from its upper end and protruding through the cap to threaded on the upper end of the body.

The actuating stem it has a coupling 32 fixed thereto and is nonrotatably though loosely connected with the stud 36 through a cross pin 33 fixed'in the stud and engaging in a longitudinal slot 36 in the lower end of the coupling.

Disassembly of the parts is prevented by means of a snap ring 35 engaged in an annular groove 2363 in the %re 53? of the coupling. This snap ring extends across the slot 343 to engagethe pin 33 and prevent separation of the coupling 32 from the stud 3t. 1

It is to be observed that the bore 3ft into which the stud 3i extends is larger than the stud to allow for a degree of relative motion, and that the lower end of the coupling rides on the cap it to preclude the application of downward iorce on the rotatable plug.

From the ioregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent that this invention provides a novel manner of controlling the supply and pilot valves in a gas fired floor furnace by which freezing of the plugs through the application of excessive downward force on the actuating handle is entirely obviated, and that this desirable result is achieved without the need for modification in the design or construction of the furnace or the valves.

What we claim as our inventionic:

by the application of a severe 1. In a valve of the character described: a valve body having a tapered bore with the large diameter end of the bore opening to the exterior of the body at the top side thereof; a tapered plug rotatable in said bore; a cover secured to the valve body in a position covering the open end of the bore and the large diameter end of the plug, said cover having a top wall provided with an aperture aligned axially with said tapered bore; a central stud on the large diameter end of the plug extending through said aperture so as to project above the top wall of the cover; an actuating stem having one end adjacent to the central stud of the valve; 2. coupling secured to 7 said end of the actuating stem and having a bore to freely receive the projecting end of the central stud while allowing the coupling to rest on the adjacent top wall of the cover; a nonrotatable driving connection between the coupling-and the stud comprising, a pin transversely secured in the stud and projecting into a longitudinal slot in the coupling, said slot permitting a substantial degree of longitudinal motion of the coupling and actuating stem with respect to the valve stud, the engagement between the coupling and the top wall of the cover limiting such motion in one direction and preventing the application oi. downward force from the stem to the plug; and means on the coupling engageable with said pin for limiting longitudinal motion of the coupling and actuating stem in the other direction, said means also serving to prevent detachment of the pin from the slot.

2. In a valve of the character described: 9.

valve body having a tapered bore with the large diameter end of the bore opening to the exterior of the body at the top side thereof; a tapered plug rotatable in said bore; a cover secured to the valve body in a position covering the open end of the bore and the large diameter 1 end of the plug, said cover having a. top wall provided with an aperture aligned axially with said tapered bore; a central stud on the large diameter end or the plug extending through said aperture so as to project above the top wall of the cover; an actuating stem having one end adjacent to the central stud of the valve; 9. C011. pling secured to said end of the actuating stem and having a bore to freely receive the projecting end of the central stud while allowing the cou-' pling to rest on the adjacent top wall of the cover; a nonrotatable driving connection between the coupling and the stud comprising, a pin transversely secured in the stud and projecting into a longitudinal slot in the coupling,-'

said slot permitting a substantial degree of longitudinal motion of the coupling and actuating stem with respect to the valve stud, the engagement between the coupling and the top wall of the cover limiting such motion in one direction; and

a spring ring secured inthe bore of the coupling below the pin and extending across said slot for limiting longitudinal motion of the coupling and actuating stem in the other direction, said spring ring also serving to prevent detachment of the pin from the slot.

RDBERI W. MUELLER. BER-BERT '8 BERNSEE. 

